Optical fibers are being used more and more for communication and data gathering purposes and from all indications appear to be the broad-band data carrying link of the future. Deployment of the optical fibers from moving airborne, water craft or land vehicle platforms is becoming the accepted way to quickly establishing an optical data link. This mode of deployment has shown that spooled optical fibers inherently offer some advantages. Spooling of the fibers in certain coiled patterns on bobbin-like spindle structures or inside of cylindrically-shaped peripheral spools gives a high density fiber package and can serve as the support mechanism as a wound fiber is stripped away from the fiber spool during deployment of the fiber.
Typically, the optical fiber is held in a coiled, spooled-shape by an adhesive coating which is applied to the fiber prior to a precise winding and which hardens after a time when the fiber is wound. The adhesive is applied to stabilize the optical fiber pack both during and after spooling and to provide a peelforce resistance during deployment.
This precision spooling of the optical fiber is currently a slow, labor intensive process. The major reasons for this are the complications attended application of the adhesive on the fiber. The adhesives are difficult, if not nearly impossible, to be applied uniformly. This results in a variable peel force when the fiber is peeled from the spool. In addition even if it were possible to apply the adhesives uniformly, the physical characteristics of the adhesives during a high speed peel are not clearly established. That is to say, as varying peel rates are encountered, the force necessary to peel the fiber away is very likely to change. Another consideration is that long storage periods may further harden or soften the adhesive or change the adhesion properties on some adhesives so that the peel force, and, hence, the deployment characteristics of an optical fiber, might introduce kinking or other destructive consequences. Another limitation of adhesives is that some of them chemically react with the buffer materials on the optical fibers. This chemical reaction may change the adhesive's characteristics and ma tend to degrade the strength of the fiber.
Automation of the optical fiber spooling process is desirable from a cost effective standpoint. Automation promises faster spooling fabrication speeds and eliminates some of the drawbacks of a presently labor intensive fabrication procedure. However, the application of an adhesive still presents a major stumbling block to the automation of the optical fiber spooling procedure. From a number of indications, it is apparent that elimination of the adhesive from the precision spooling process stands to be a major step forward in fabricating coiled spools that are more suitable for the high speed deployment of optical fiber data links.
Thus, a continuing need exists in the state of the art for a method and means for improving the precision spooling of optical fibers by eliminating the adhesive from spooled optical fibers to assure a more reliable deployment of an optical fiber from a moving platform.